


Without Dance, What’s The Pointe?

by Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force



Category: RWBY
Genre: Ableism, Ableist behaviour, Anxiety, Depression, F/F, Flashbacks, Mention of Adam Taurus, Mention of Past Abuse, Therapy, anxiety attack, ballerina!Blake, dance au, street dancer!Yang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21747091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force/pseuds/Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force
Summary: After Blake loses her career, can she find a spark within a certain flame?Or Blake finds herself challenged by a certain blonde and decides to prove her wrong.
Relationships: Bumbleby - Relationship
Comments: 141
Kudos: 467





	1. Greek Fire

**Author's Note:**

> This is due to tumblr conversations.

Adam Taurus could go fuck himself.

Blake was pissed as she drove to work in her new city. And hurt and angry.

The man she had loved had successfully destroyed her career that she had basically been working towards since she was two years old. Ballet had been her entire life. The thing that brought her joy.

And when she successfully made it to Mantle’s top shows, she soon found herself co-starring alongside Adam. And she thought he had the same passion that she did. The same love and hope and compassion that she did. But it turned that he held a secret hobby; using their tours as an alibi for his crimes. Theft, assault, Hell, even murder!

When he got caught, not even Blake could refute the evidence that piled up against him. It tore her apart to realise that the man she lived had become a monster. To realise that she had been manipulated and used since she was eighteen years old. But what really destroyed her? Was when Sienna asked her to leave their company.

In other words; “You’ll never dance professionally again, kid.”

And so Blake moved to Vale, where she found herself immensely grateful for her mother’s insistence that she get an online degree of some kind while she performed. At least she could still be a journalist, she supposed.

But losing her career was like losing that spark. That special little flame that was all hers. The question now was; would she ever find it again?

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The potential answer to that question came one day after work. The day had been long (mostly due to her co-worker, Sun. Sweet guy, means well. But with very little understanding of personal boundaries.) and had decided to get a cup of tea after work.

As she she was sitting at an outside table with a new book, her eyes landed on a dance studio across the street.

‘Greek Fire?’ Blake thought to herself with a small smile. ‘Cute.’

Her ears flicked and she attempted to get lost in her book, but the 22 year old cat faunus soon realised that it was damn near impossible to focus. Her mind and gaze kept drifting to the dance studio. It called to her, like a siren luring sailers to their deaths.

‘Fuck it.’ She finally decided as she finished her tea and returned her book to her back. ‘Let’s go check it out.’

When she entered the studio, she was hit by a wave of modern music. She suddenly felt very overdressed in her jeans and button down shirt.

“Yang, I swear if you say one more thing…”

“Ah, c’mon, Nikos’. Vomit Boy’s not gonna make a move. Go get your boy.”

Blake nearly died when she looked aver at two women that were stretching by the benches, dressed in simple work out clothes; sweat pants and sports bras, though one of them had a glove on her right arm. The issue was that they were very fit, very attractive women and her mind went blank for a moment.

‘Welp. If I had any doubts about my sexuality before, I sure as hell don’t now.’ She thought to herself as the redhead arched her back. Dear God. She had the face of a wood nymph and the body of an MMA fighter!

“Um. Excuse me?” She called, shaking herself out of her disaster state. “Hi. I’m new in town and-“

“Oh! A new potential member, Yang! It’s so wonderful to meet you!”

Blake nearly jumped out of her skin when the redhead came over with a pleasant smile.

“My name is Pyrrha Nikos’ and I’m the captain of this team. I really hope you’ll join us. We could do with some fresh blood.” Pyrrha said, shaking her hand enthusiastically. “I’m getting a little sick of the blonde one.” She added with a conspiratorial wink.

‘Yup.’ Blake thought. ‘Definitely bi.’

“Wow, thanks, Pyrr.” Came a sarcastic drawl as the blonde made her way over slowly. She carried herself with more… presence. Like she knew that eyes were on her and welcomed it. Blake narrowed her eyes at the cocky smirk. “Don’t scare off the fresh meat. She’s too cute to lose.”

Blake tried not flush as she glowered at the blonde woman.

“My name’s Yang, Pyrrha’s best friend. What’s your name, gorgeous?” Yang asked, directing what she probably thought was a charming smile at Blake. Blake, however, refused to play her game.

“Blake.” She said shortly with a sneer as she turned back to Pyrrha, who seemed greatly amused by the current situation. “Is she always like this? Because I might have to leave if she is.”

She smirked at the sputtering sound that followed as Pyrrha hid a giggle behind her hand.

“Oh I like you. Let me show you around?” Pyrrha asked, holding out an elbow as she directed a knowing smirk at Yang.

“Of course. I do appreciate it when a girl knows how to be a true gentlewoman.” Blake quipped, purposefully ignoring the still sputtering blonde.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Okay. So you’re a street dancing crew?” Blake asked curiously. She had always admired street dancers. The skill and passion that they held for their craft was incredible. “That’s so cool.”

“We are.” Pyrrha said with a flattered smile. “We have our main team, along with several pairs and a few singles.” Her smile turned sharp as they entered the room where they had left Yang, purposely speaking louder. “Poor Yang has been a single for so long. Nobody can put up with her.”

“Fuck you.” Came the eloquent reply.

A loud ringing sound from office interrupted Pyrrha’s retort and she quickly excused herself while Yang decided to take the opportunity to try and make a better impression.

“Hey.” She grinned nervously. Blake stared at her blankly. “Um. I like your hair! Goes great with your… face?”

Blake blinked at her, left ear flicking as she attempted to hide her amusement. At least she wasn’t the only disaster in town.

“Thanks.” She said shortly, inwardly snickering at the almost desperate look on the blonde’s face.

She took the time to really look at Yang. Extremely fit, definitely beautiful. Especially her eyes. Lilac pools that seemed to shine with a kindness and intelligence to them.

“Look, I’m sorry about before.” Yang sighed, averting her gaze. “I like to mess with Pyrrha but I guess I made you uncomfortable so I apologise.” She finished, making eye contact as she apologised.

Blake was stunned. She hadn’t been expecting an apology. Especially not such an emotionally intelligent one.

‘Hmm.” She thought to herself. ‘She’s certainly interesting.’

“Uh. Don’t worry about it.” She coughed into her fist. “You’re good.”

The two stood there awkwardly for a moment until Yang spoke up again.

“So what kind of dancing do you do?” Her eyes were bright with curiosity, a fire within.

“Ballet.” Blake said, slightly taken aback by the passionate gleam in the other woman’s eyes.

“Ballet?” Yang snorted derisively. “Of fucking course. Cute girl, horrible choice in dance.” Welp. Pop goes the bubble.

“Excuse me?!” Blake bristled.

“You heard me.” Yang muttered. “Every ballerina I’ve ever met is stuck up, pompous and pretentious as fuck. Not to mention that not a single one of you can keep up with my crew.” Yang huffed, staring Blake down. “Why should you be any different?”

“That’s a load of bullshit.” Blake growled, ears pinned. “I can keep up with you just fine, Sweetheart.”

When the other woman’s eyes almost seemed to flash red, Blake knew she hit a nerve.

“Don’t call me Sweetheart.” Yang growled, eyes narrowed as she leaned down. Blake, however, didn’t back down.

“Fine, I won’t.” She smirked as she leaned towards Yang’s face. “Sweetheart,” She whispered with a sharp grin. Her competitive nature was showing and she was enjoying herself.

“You really think you can keep up?” Yang said quietly. “Then prove me wrong, Princess.” She walked over to her bag, adjusting the long glove covering her right hand and arm, and pulled out a pen and notebook. She wrote something down and walked back over and handed it to Blake.

“We’re having an open night competition this weekend. If you’re feeling up to it, I’d love to see what the pretty little sugar plum fairy can do.” She smirked.

“Oh.” Blake laughed. “It will an honour to wipe the floor with you.” She said confidently as she walked towards the door. “I need to go. But say goodbye to Pyrrha for me.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Yang snorted. “And don’t forget your tutu, Princess!”

“I’ll put on my best leotard just for you, Sweetheart. Just for you.” Blake said over her shoulder, throwing a playful wink before walking out the door as Yang sputtered angrily.

For the first time in a long time, Blake was excited. She was thrilled.

And she couldn’t wait for the weekend.


	2. Toxic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Blake shows up to show Yang what a ballerina can do, will Yang fare well? Or is our Sunny Little Dragon doomed to melt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As stated, the song playing is toxic by Britney Spears. Don’t ask me why I chose it. I don’t know.
> 
> But I wrote Blake’s entire dance scene as the song played in an open tab so feel free to listen to it while reading 😊

Yang looked around her with a small smirk as the crowd drifted in and created a circle around the centre of the studio in preparing for the dance off. She was, naturally, front and centre with Pyrrha as the girl gave out directions of where to sit.

“Everyone here? Lovely!” Pyrrha beamed happily. “Thank you all for coming this weekend. I’m sure everyone will try their best!” 

Yang snorted, amused. Dear, sweet Pyrrha.

“As always, we’ll start with our reigning singles champion; Yang Xiao Long!” Pyrrha said, rolling her eyes as the crowd cheered. “Is there anyone who’s willing to go up against our very own dragon and take her down?”

Silence. 

“Please?” Pyrrha begged. “I am this close to breaking her neck.”

Yang smirked, about to make a self assured comment before a smooth and confident voice piped up.

“Why break her neck when I can break her pride?”

The crowd gasped and howled as they parted like the Red Sea, revealing a young woman in a trench coat, short black hair with a pair of cat ears pricked forward with interest and a devious smirk that spelled trouble.

“Blake!” Pyrrha said excitedly, clapping her hands. “I’m so glad that you came!”

“Yeah.” Yang said as she adjusted her muscle shirt with a smug grin. “Good to see you, Swan Lake. Ready to admit that I’m way better than you?”

Blake smiled, tilting her head and looking up at Yang through her lashes.

“You talk too much.” She said calmly. “How about you show me what you’ve got?”

“You first.” Yang grinned sharply. “You’re the challenger.”

Blake rolled her eyes and gestured Pyrrha over. Yang stayed where she was in the middle of the circle, as was standard. She quirked an eyebrow at the completely ecstatic look on her best friend’s face as Blake whispered into her ear, running off to play Blake’s song.

Soon, the familiar sound of Britney Spears played.

‘Toxic?’ Yang mused to herself with a frown. ‘No way can she pull that off.’

Blake sauntered into the circle, feet crossing over one another to the beat of the music. As the opening lyrics hit, Blake spun, whipping off her trench coat and throwing it away dramatically, running her hands through her short hair and down her neck.

She wasn’t lying when she said she’d wear a leotard. And she looked good in it. Really good. It had a high neck with her muscular and shoulders. back being shown off. She had white tights on her legs and pointe shoes on her feet. Her expression was that of a woman who knew her skill set and was proud of it. 

She locked eyes with Yang and smirked, leaping through the air and twirling on one foot and leaping again, falling to the floor in a graceful slide, one leg lifting high above her head.

Yang felt her breath hitch as Blake rolled up onto her knees and onto her feet, slowly bringing her torso up and snapping her head back. She took long strides towards Yang, spinning every so often and rotating her torso and twisting almost around her own body.

She then leapt high into the air, landing on pointe, spinning around multiple times, her lifted leg moving back and forth to keep the momentum.

As they music continued, Blake leapt to the right and kept leaping, effortlessly landing in front of the audience and turning her back to them, leaning back until she was almost bent double and shifting onto her hands, rolling her body to the ground and rolling her upper body upwards, swinging her legs around and pushing up into a stand. She side skipped in front of them for a moments, legs crossing expertly before leaping back towards Yang.

Yang felt her jaw drop and Blake started stepping elegantly around her, still keeping careful time with the music, body twisting around Yang’s, hand grazing Yang’s back and shoulders until she came to Yang’s front and leaned forward, making dead eye contact as her foot came up behind her head and she paused for a moment, hand on Yang’s collar, thumb lightly stroking her skin. 

‘Oh God.’ Yang thought to herself as her heart sped up. ‘I am too gay for this shit.’ She wasn’t entirely displeased with the situation, though.

She watched as Blake smirked, swinging her leg down and to the front, narrowly avoiding Yang’s head as she brought it up to her own head. 

Yang swallowed thickly as Blake slowly brought it back down and stepped into her personal space, noses brushing. She felt entranced as Blake trailed a hand up her collar and neck, danced her fingers up her face and winked at her before abruptly grabbing her SnapBack hat and stepping away with it, rotating her wrist with a flare and putting it on her own head with style.

Yang sputtered as Blake backflipped away, moving so quickly that her eyes could barely keep up. As dear old Brit sang about the touch of lips, Blake landed on her hands and rolled her body into the floor and on to her side, lifting one leg high into the air and down again in time with the beat. 

Blake swung her legs around above her, bringing her onto her shoulders and over onto her knees. She rose to her feet, hips rocking side to side and arms gracefully moving above her head.

Yang felt her knees weaken when Blake turned to her and stormed over, feet matching the tempo. When she was a few feet from Yang, Blake slid to the ground and landed in front of her on her knees and slowly rose to her feet, never touching Yang. When she got to her full height, Blake stalked around Yang, twisting and turning elegantly. 

As the song ended, Blake smiled softly at her and leaned in, causing Yang’s eyes to flutter shut… until she felt a sudden force on the top of her head when her hat was pushed onto it and down over her eyes.

“How’s that for keeping up, Sweetheart..” She murmured into Yang’s ear, chest rising and falling, sweat clinging to her skin. She pulled back and gave Yang a lopsided grin as the audience burst into applause and hollering. 

“Well done, Blake!” Pyrrha said as she came up. “Yang, you’re drooling.” She threw in snidely at Yang, who quickly wiped her mouth before glaring at her friend.

“Fuck off, Nikos!” She growled, punching her shoulder as Blake hid a smile behind her hand. 

“No.” Pyrrha said with a smirk before turning to Blake. “As for you… Please, stay!” She begged with clasped hands, a playful glimmer in her eyes. “We need someone like you.”

“For fresh ideas or to keep Blondie in line?” Blake said, completely ignoring Yang and smirking at Pyrrha.

“Yes.” Pyrrha said simply as Yang rolled her eyes, arms crossed.

“You know…” Blake said thoughtfully as she glanced at Yang with a sly smile. “I think I might.”

And with that, the ballerina walked away, grabbing her trench coat and throwing it over her shoulder as she walked out.

“What the fuck just happened?” Yang muttered, scratching her head.

“You’re very gay, is what happened.” Pyrrha teased. “I know she’s pretty, Yang. But please don’t turn this studio into a pool with all of your drool.”

Yang sputtered angrily as Pyrrha giggled.

“She’s going to be good for us, Yang. I can feel it.” Pyrrha added quietly. “And I think we might be good for her.”

Yang quietly listened to the excitement of the crowd, remembered the way Blake’s eyes and lit up with a fire she didn’t think was possible and allowed a small smirk to grow.

“It’s definitely going to be an adventure.”


	3. Something Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the two are forced to work together, can Blake convince Yang that it’s a good idea?
> 
> Or will Yang’s misconceptions about ballerinas get the better of her?

“Yo, Blake!”

Blake sighed wearily as she filled her tea mug. Sun was a nice guy. But he was… earnest, to say the least. She’d probably get on with him if he knew what personal space was.

“Hello, Sun.” She said bluntly as she poured honey into her green tea. She didn’t hate the man but dear God. She was too introverted for this.

“Soooo… there’s this rave thing I’m going to tonight.” He grinned leaning on the wall beside her. “It’s gonna be kinda lame. But you and me? Not as lame!”

“A rave is the exact opposite of boring, Sun.” Blake snorted into her tea. 

“Oh come on! Please?” He asked, getting a little too close for Blake’s liking. She knew it wasn’t him trying to intimidate her. But still… it unnerved her.

“Sun.” She said calmly, despite her pinned ears.” Remember what I told you about personal space?”

“Oh!” He yelped, jumping back. “Sorry! Vacuo’s not super big on personal space, ya know?” He chuckled nervously, long monkey tail swishing behind him.

“I noticed.” Blake said dryly. “But to answer your question; no. I won’t go with you. I have plans tonight.”

She felt a stab of guilt as Sun’s face dropped. She felt the old urge to rectify her “mistake” but pushed it back down. 

‘Deep breaths. Remember what Doctor Peach said.’ She thought to herself. ‘You are not selfish for saying no. You are not selfish for putting yourself first. You deserve to do things that make you happy.’

“Oh cool. Cool.” Sun coughed. “Maybe we can hang out another time?” He asked hopefully.

“Uh, sure. Maybe.” Blake forced a grin onto her face. A difficult thing to do when when you’re trying to deal with a high functioning panic attack. 

When Sun grinned and bid her goodby, salute included, Blake quickly made her way to the women’s bathroom to regain her composure.

‘Breath in 1, 2, 3.’ She inhaled. ‘Hold 4, 5, 6.’ She held it. ‘Breath out 7, 8, 9.’

She repeated her exercise for a few minutes before running her hands through her bob cut shakily and giving herself a weak smile.

“You’re okay.” She whispered. “You’re fine.”

She stood up straight, lifted her chin and fluffed up her hair and walked out of the bathroom and to her cubicle. 

‘Back to work, Belladonna.’

////////////////////////////////

When Blake walked into “Greek Fire” that night, she was a little surprised to see a group standing around Pyrrha.

“We need to keep working on our routines. Penny and Ruby, you two are doing so well! Keep it up.”

Blake watched as two very energetic girls laughed and high fived before heading off into one of the smaller training rooms.

“Weiss and Neptune… please figure out a routine. I will send Yang in if I so as much suspect that you two are arguing.”

Blake bit back a grin, arms crossed over her sports bra, legging clad hip cocked, as a short, white haired woman dragged a blue haired man down the hall. 

“Ren, Jaune, Nora? I think we should have our routine down pat soon. Head to our room and I’ll be there soon.”  
Blake snorted when the shorter redhead threw the two men over her shoulders effortlessly and ran off. 

“Blake!” Pyrrha gasped happily when she noticed her. “You came!”

“Um.” Blake laughed, a little taken aback by the absolute joy that she was met with. She knew what it was like to have an audience excited to see you. But individual people? That was a new concept to her. She couldn’t help but wonder why her presence was something to be happy over. “Yeah. Here I am.”

“Damn.” A voice cursed off to the side. Blake rolled her eyes. Of course. “The nutcracker showed up after all.”

“Yang!” Pyrrha admonished. “Play. Nice.” She growled through a forced grin.

Yang rolled her eyes, smirk never leaving her lips, as she walked over. She was wearing a white muscle shirt with a flaming heart on the front, black workout pants with a yellow splash on the left leg and what Blake suspected to be her standard orange glove on her right hand.

“Fine. Just tell the girl what room she’s in so I can get to mine.” She sighed dramatically.

“She’s in yours.”

“Wait. What?!” Blake and Yang shouted at the same time. 

“You heard me. Yang, we need more doubles for our next match. You’re our best dancer. We need you in there.” Pyrrha said firmly. “And Blake, you could bring a level of class and elegance that nobody’s ever seen before.” 

The affronted women looked at each other before sighing.

“Fine.”

“Whatever, Pyrr.”

“Oh this is marvellous.” Pyrrha said happily. “Now; go and get to know each other!”

“Ugh. Whatever.” Yang huffed. “This way, Princess.”

Blake glowered at her back as they made their way into a training room and began to stretch.

It didn’t escape her notice when Yang’s gaze drifted to her legs when she lifted them above her head. 

“That’s not normal.” Yang muttered. “That just looks painful.”

Blake grinned over at her cheekily and bent over backwards, grabbing her ankles and looking at Yang through her own legs.

“Not my fault I’m flexible.” She said as she brought her legs over head and slid upwards into a stand, stepping elegantly forward. “Or maybe you’re just too stiff.”

“I am not stiff.” Yang growled as Blake came to a stand before her, smirk playful.

“Oh no?” Blake said, eyebrow quirked, enjoying the flush that spread across Yang’s freckled cheeks. “Then prove me wrong, Sweetheart.”

Yang’s lips threatened to twitch upwards but she quickly walked around Blake and into the centre of the floor. Blake cocked a hip, ears pricked forward…

And nearly choked when Yang started doing the krump.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” She wheezed. “Pyrrha said that you’re the best dancer here! What is happening? Do I need to call Pyrrha?!” She asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed. 

But she gave a concerned gasp when Yang fell forward, her legs flying out from her as she landed on her face. 

Or she would have had she not caught herself in time. Blake’s jaw dropped as Yang hovered inches above the ground, hands flat on the floor until she swung her legs above her into a handstand, dropping onto her shoulders and kicking her legs to spin her around in circles.

Blake stepped back, biting back am impressed smile, as Yang bounced onto one hand and paused, throwing her a cheeky wink before rotating her body around her hands quickly.

As Blake watched, her mind started to race with ideas. A perfect blend of strength and elegance, never overpowering each other but instead, showcasing each other. The possibilities were endless and Blake felt her grin turn sharp and competitive. 

‘Oh.’ She thought to herself. ‘I can work with this.’

“Well?” Yang said as she came to a halt, sweat glistening and emphasising her abs as she wiped her face. Blake swallowed thickly and focused on her face.

“I think…” she said softly, ears flicking excitedly. “That this is the start of a beautiful partnership.”

Yang’s gaze snapped up to her, eyes narrowed.

“Seriously?” She asked dryly. “That’s it? You’re just ready to be partners, just like that?”

Blake walked over and slowly stalked around her, eyes sharp and assessing.

“You’re obviously strong. You know your body and you know what makes you look good.” She rolled her eyes at the smirk that grew. “But your style is all about strength and power. There’s no story, no goal. You have no destination.”

“Excuse me?!”

“That’s not a bad thing.” Blake said as she poked Yang’s nose with a smirk. “It works well when you’re flying solo. But I think that Pyrrha’s right. If we work together, we could really give the people a show.” She gave Yang a sly grin. “I’m a ballerina, after all. Being a bit showy is what I do.”

“So you bring elegance and show.” Yang said with a narrowed gaze. “What do I bring?”

“Strength.” Blake said. “Power. A certain air of attitude that isn’t as easy to portray in ballet.”

“You seem to manage fine.”

“Well. That’s just me.” Blake smirked. “It kind of drove my co-stars mad.”

“Hmm.” Yang hummed thoughtfully. 

“Look, I know what you think about us.” Blake huffed, eyes narrowed. “But not all of us are like that. I’m confident in my abilities because I’ve been honing them since I was a child. I know that I’m good. But I also know I have so much more growing to do.”

“Oh.” Yang said, surprised.

“The day that we refuse to learn, to grow, to keep developing our skills? That’s the day that we hinder ourselves as performers.” Blake said as she walked over to the bench and continued her warmup. “We could learn a lot from each other.”

“Wait.” Yang said, an obvious frown in her voice. “You consider me to be a performer as well?”

“I never said that I didn’t.” Blake huffed, arching onto her toes. “You work hard, put everything you have into it and perform. I admire the determination and dedication you have to your craft. You’re the one who judged me.”

“Oh.” Yang muttered, rubbing her neck sheepishly. “That’s not what most ballerinas I’ve met have said.”

“Stereotypes tend to be a bit hindering, don’t you think?” Blake said with a cocked eyebrow. “We’re no different. We both live to perform.”

“Except that you’re a professional dancer, selling out shows.” Yang quipped teasingly. “Right?”

“Wrong.” Blake said with a bitter smile. “I don’t perform professionally. Not anymore. That’s why I’m here.”

“Oh.” Yang breathed, voice becoming softer. “You missed it.”

“Yeah.” Blake murmured. “I did.”

“… You’re very different to what I was expecting.” Yang said quietly.

“I could say the same about you.” Blake retorted.

There was a comfortable pause.

“Still don’t like ballerinas though

“Well. Maybe I can change that.”

“Oh? Well.” Yang smirked. “I’ll look forward to it, Odette.”

Blake let out a laugh as she walked over to Yang to start talking shop.

Like she said… this was the start of something beautiful.


	4. I’ll Save You A Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two weeks of no progress, despite getting on well, Yang comes tot he conclusion that Blake running herself into the ground. A conversation ensues, some scars are discussed and we learn something new about our Sunny Little Dragon. But perhaps... a different type of spark is ignited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is talk of ableist behaviour and treatment in this chapter.

“Damn it!”

Yang winced as Blake failed what the ballerina called a “basic step that an infant could dance.” 

She and Blake has been working together for two weeks now and made very little progress. They got on well, trading snark and sass back and forth easily. But something was holding them back. She didn’t know whether it was the way their styles had yet to blend cohesively or if it was to do with the fact that Blake flinched every single time Yang put her hand on her, but things weren’t looking great. She often found herself wondering what could have caused Blake to be so nervous about her personal space.

“Okay, you need a break.” Yang finally decided firmly. She suspected that if she didn’t enforce one, that Blake would run herself into the ground. “C’mon, Twinkle Toes.”

The answering growl made her roll her eyes. Stubborn ballerina was stubborn.

“I don’t need a break.” Blake muttered as she breathed heavily, sweat clinging to every inch of her skin. “I’ve trained longer and harder hours than this before.” She huffed as she accepted her water bottle.

“Maybe. But this ain’t the ballet.” Yang reminded with a quirked eyebrow. “We don’t dance for perfection here. We dance for passion. And sometimes, that means accepting that we’re not always going to get the steps right.” She said calmly, lowering the cocky façade she tended to put up, watching Blake frown. “Don’t you ever dance for fun rather than perfection? To laugh and enjoy yourself instead of trying to win an invisible battle?”

“You don’t understand. Dancing is my life.” Blake snapped, storming and turning her back on Yang. “Always has been. I need to give it my all. If I don’t, then what good am I?”

“I understand more than you think, Belladonna.” Yang said quietly as she made a decision to open up. Maybe Blake just needs to hear about the dangers of what she was doing. “It’s pretty easy when I used to be one of you.”

Blame turned around with a surprised gasp, eyes wide.

“You what?!”

“Yep.” Yang said with a bitter laugh. “My mum put me in ballet from the time I was 4. I got good. I could’ve been better.”

“What happened?” Blake asked cautiously.

She needed to get through to her. Otherwise, they stood no chance of winning. And even worse than that? Blake could seriously hurt herself. And Yang had become fond of the feisty ballerina over the past two weeks, in spite of herself.

“I was 17.” Yang sighed, holding her gloved hand with her left. “My uncle had bought me a motorbike as a graduation gift. I took my new baby out for a ride and some drunk fucking asshole sideswiped me.” Yang closed her eyes, focused on her breathing. But something told her that Blake was safe. She could do this.

“There was a lot of nerve damage to my arm but I got told that if I worked hard in rehab, I could still go back to ballet.” Yang gently removed her glove and held up her golden prosthetic. “I worked so hard that I made the damage even worse. I didn’t let it heal and that came back and bit me in the ass.” She clenched her robotic hand and relaxed it. “My director pulled me aside. Told me that she didn’t think that ballet was for me. But personally?” 

Yang smirked bitterly at her hand.

“Personally, I think that they were a bunch of ableist bastards that couldn’t handle a little asymmetry. They weren’t willing to let me even try. All because I drove myself into the ground headfirst without heeding the warnings.”

“Yang.” Blake breathed, taking a step towards her. “I am so sorry that that happened to you. But this is different.”

Yang let out a frustrated growl. ‘Stubborn.’

“Okay. Fine.” She said, cocking her hip. “Prove it.”

“Prove it?!” Blake snorted. “How?”

“I might not as physically good at it as I used to be, but I still remember the steps. So, first position.” Yang said quietly. Blake rolled her eyes and moved, turning her feet outwards, heels touching.

“Second position.” Blake’s feet moved so that they were about twelve inches apart.

“Third position.” Yang walked around Blake as she crossed one foot in front of the other.

“Fourth position, open then closed.” Blake’s right foot moved so that it was twelve inches in front of the other, heels aligned before she moved again, aligning her heels to her toes.

“Fifth position.” Yang watched as Blake suddenly lost her balance, her fatigue finally getting to her as she stumbled.

“Gotcha.” She grunted as she caught her. “See? If you keep going, you’re going to get hurt. As your partner? I’m not letting that happen.”

“I-“ Blake’s voice hitched as she held onto Yang’s biceps. Yang saw the self-loathing in her eyes and recalled the same expression looking back at her five years ago.

“I get it, Blake. You don’t want people to see you as weak. Like you’re somehow less of a performer because you need a break.” Yang said softly as she backed away from Blake once she was sure that she wasn’t going to fall and giving her the space she needed. “I don’t know what happened, but you don’t have to let it define you. You have nothing to prove. You’ll get there. Wherever there is.”

Yang bent to meet Blake’s eyes with a smile. “We both will. But if we destroy ourselves in the process, what good are we?”

“… right.” Blake said weakly. “Yang, I-“

“And before you say anything…” Yang interrupted gently. “You don’t need to tell me your story. I’ve found my own way through the scars. I’ve healed. I’m okay with talking about it. You seem like you’ve still got a journey to make. So please, please don’t feel like you need to do anything you don’t want to.” Yang said seriously. She didn’t tell her story for pity or to guilt trip. She just needed Blake to understand how dangerous running into a brick wall could be.

Blake stared at her in surprise for a minute before sighing heavily and moving to pack up her gear.

“Dancing is meant to be fun. I forgot that after my accident.” Yang said. “Street dancing helped me find it again.”

Blake hummed thoughtfully.

“When was the last time you’ve dance for fun, Blake?” Oh what was she doing? Yang was digging a hole with this girl. 

“I… can’t remember.” Blake frowned, ears flat against her head.

“Well… let’s change that.” Yang said simply. “Tomorrow night, there’s this ‘70s dance night sorta thing. I go to them to let loose. You should come with. Relax. Find the fun in dancing again and not just the passion.”

“I… don’t know.” Blake sighed, ears flicking back and forth nervously. “I… don’t really go out much. Work and all that.” Of course. Workaholic to her core.

“It’s your decision.” Yang said softly. “Just please, get some rest. Pyrrha likes you so she’d be insufferable if I let something happen to you.” She added cheekily with a playful wink.

“Pyrrha, huh?” Blake said as she lifted a hand to hide a tired giggle before ducking her head with an embarrassed cough. “I guess I’m not the only one who beats expectations.”

Yang felt something shift in her chest and quickly covered it up with a cough of her own.

“Uh. Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Look, I’m due for work in an hour, but I’ll text you the address.” She said as she threw her bag onto her back. “It’s a dress up sorta thing so it’s going to be fun.” She called back as she walked to the door, pausing when her hand touched the handle and glanced back at her partner and smiled.

“And if you feel like coming out tomorrow?” She said smoothly, smile warm. “I’ll save you a dance.”

And with that, she walked out of the studio and out to her car, trying to get heart to calm the actual fuck down.

Which was made difficult by the musical chime of a certain ballerina’s giggle.

What the fuck did she just get herself into?


	5. Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a look into the scars that Adam left on Blake. Can her therapist encourage her to let people see who lies behind the confident ballerina?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very loosely based on a conversation with my own therapist. Learning to let go and make connections with other people is hard.

“I think it might be a good idea for you to go, Blake.”

Blake groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

“I know.” She mumbled. “Branch out and all that. I just…”

“It’s okay to be scared.” Dr. Peach said with a kind smile. “Pushing past the walls we’ve set up and reaching out to people always is. But I have to say, Blake.”

The doctor leaned forward to better meet Blake’s eyes.

“You have come such a long way since you first came to me. You made the decision to move on from what Adam did.” Blake flinched at the sound of his name but she took her breaths, exactly as the woman in front of her taught her. “You chose to come to me, to get help. You made that step forward all on your own and that’s incredibly brave.”

“I don’t feel brave.” Blake sighed, ears pinned in distress. “I still can’t handle people being in my personal space. I have panic attacks if they get too close. It’s still so hard to make personal connections.” She felt tears prick her eyes and she lowered her head. “It’s not like I like being alone! I just… I can only let people get so close.”

“I know.” Dr. Peach soothed. “Adam hurt you. You were his victim as much as anyone else.” She gently pushed a box of tissues to Blake. “And now, you’ve put yourself into a social rut. You want to connect but you’ve been tricked into thinking that you don’t deserve to. That being alone is what’s normal for you. But you deserve happiness as much as anyone. Your family loves you. Your co-workers admire you. And when you start making friends, they’ll love you too.”

“I-“ Blake’s voice faltered for a moment. “I don’t know.”

“I know it’s scary. But you can’t keep self-sabotaging like this.” Dr. Peach said softly. “People want to connect with you. Because they see a woman worth knowing. Remember what we talked about?”

“Adam lied to me. He chose to make me feel small because it kept me in his control. Because it brought me down to his level.” Blake said shakily. “But I’m not trapped. I can rise. I will be okay.”

“You will.” The older woman said, a hint of a proud smile on her face. “And look how far you’ve come. You have a new job. You’re healing and you went out of your way to go to this studio. You did that all on your own. Without me or anyone else. And now, you have a new dance partner. Who, might I add, seems to be making her way under your skin.”

“I don’t know.” Blake sniffed. “She’s… nothing like I expected. She’s smart and dedicated. But she doesn’t push me past my breaking point like Adam did.”

“You’re not used to working with somebody who respects you. Who cares about your wellbeing and it’s overwhelming.” 

“Yeah.” Blake breathed. “I know I shouldn’t be. That it’s normal. But it’s just so alien that somebody I barely know would be so… kind.” She frowned at herself. “When I… was throwing myself into a brick wall yesterday… she didn’t expect me to keep hitting it. She wanted me to rest. She even told me about her own experience.”

“She opened up to you.” Dr. Peach said calmly. “And that scares you. How easy it was. How it formed a connection.”

“Yeah.” Blake whispered. “But it was weird. Adam used to tell me about his experiences. But he did to make me feel bad. To feel guilty.”

“And you didn’t feel like that with her?” Dr. Peach asked curiously. 

“No.” Blake mumbled. “It was nothing like Adam. If felt more… compassionate. Like she understood my side and was letting me see hers. No guilt trips. No expectations. I could make my decision and that was that.”

“Because that’s what’s normal.” The doctor said softly. “Nobody should be using their experiences to manipulate you. To trick you.” She adjusted her glasses and smiled kindly and Blake. “This girl goes against everything that Adam taught you and that’s scary.”

“… yeah.”

“And that’s okay. But we need connections, Blake. We can only function on our own for so long before it becomes destructive.” Dr. Peach said calmly as Blake flinched. “You don’t need to punish yourself for his crimes, Blake. He hurt you too.”

Blake gritted her teeth, tears burning her eyes. It still hurt. It still hurt to think about him. What he did. How he used her. How she thought she could fix him, change him. But she couldn’t. Her love for Adam couldn’t heal him.

And ever since, she’s become distant. Refusing to let anyone get close. Why should she? She had been so blind to Adam’s behaviour and cruel actions for so long. 

“You are far more worthy than he taught you.” Dr. Peach said gently. “You’ve come such a long way, Blake. You’ve taken so many steps forward. Now, you need to take one more big one. Let yourself connect with people.”

“I-“ Blake wiped her eyes and cleared her eyes. “I don’t think I know how. What if I’m too broken to?”

“You are not broken.” Dr. Peach said in a gentle, firm tone. “You have your scars, just like the rest of us. But you’re not one to let the past define you. You’re confident about your skills as a performer. You let people see those skills. But it’s time to let them see the girl behind the performer.”

Blake hesitated, unsure.

“One person, Blake.” The older woman requested quietly. “Just start connecting with one person. Not as a co-worker. Not as a dance partner. As a friend.”

“And if it bites me in the ass?” Blake challenged narrowing her eyes at her therapist. “If I fall on my face… what then?”

“Then I’ll be right here to help you through it.” Dr. Peach said softly. “Life is scary. And so are connections. But I promise you that they’re worth pursuing.”

“Right.” Blake said quietly. “I’ll try.”

She sighed wearily. 

“I guess I need to go to a thrift store.” She huffed, smirking when Dr. Peach quirked an eyebrow. “Because who has a ‘70s outfit laying around?”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

As they wrapped up their session, Blake felt her anxiety spike. She knew that Dr. Peach was right. But that didn’t make tonight any less unnerving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the night out. Look forward to seeing Yang turn the tables on Blake as the ballerina suddenly finds herself way out of her league.
> 
> She performed well in chapter 2. But perhaps she was getting a little ahead of herself...


	6. Blake’s Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her therapy session, Blake decides to take a chance on Yang.
> 
> Let’s see how wise of a decision that was as she struggles to keep up on the dance floor.
> 
> After all, ballet is very different from what you might find at a ‘70s night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3262 words.
> 
> I think this might be my longest chapter yet! And be warned: there is mention of Adam’s abuse of Blake and a panic attack mixed with suggested flashbacks
> 
> Also; shoutout to my buddy @set-wingedwarrior for helping me out with the outfits and song choices 😊

‘Breath in 1, 2, 3. Hold it 4, 5, 6. And breath out 7, 8, 9.’

Blake was sitting in her car. B the parking lot of a building. For a 70’s night. With her new dance partner.

And she was nervous as hell. She held herself together well. Came across as confident and bold. And lord knew that she was confident about her skills when it came to ballet.

But as they say; a confident front can often hide the biggest insecurities. And the moment somebody started to get close? The moment a connection started to form? When all of her scars started to burn? That was when all of all instincts screamed at her to run.

And dear God did she want to run.

But she had promised Dr. Peach that she would try. And she hardly wanted to disappoint Yang, who despite coming off as arrogant and cocky; seemed to have the kind of emotional intelligence that therapists dream of.

She could do this. 

Blake glanced down at her outfit and sighed. She was lucky she was able to pull this together in time. Thank God for thrift stores.

A black body suit with a deep V neck line and bare shoulders with flare out bottoms covered her body. A golden belt wrapped firmly around her waist and black high heels adorned her feet. The look was topped off by a white form fitting jacket with a masculine cut. 

Her short hair was teased slightly and she had gone with a dramatic smokey eye look for her makeup.

She actually felt pretty good about herself. 

She took one more breath to brace herself and stepped out of her car and walked into the building…

Only to see a sea of colour. Nearly every person was wearing some variation of flare out pants. Hair was teased and makeup was dramatic. She saw multiple people with a rainbow across their eyes. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. 

‘Oh.’ She thought nervously. ‘You are in way over your head, Belladonna.’

As Blake walked around the edge of the dance floor and leaned back against the bar, a figure caught her eye and she immediately zeroed in on them.

Blonde hair in a low ponytail, dressed in a white disco suit. The legs of the pants had gold sequins from the knees downwards, as did the sleeves of their jacket from the elbows down. Their shirt showed showed off their cleavage with a high rise, dark purple collar. 

And when she turned around, Blake felt heat flood her cheeks.

‘Oh no.’ She inwardly whined to herself. ‘She’s hot!’

And Yang was. Her muscular build filled out her suit perfectly and she knew exactly what to do with that body. Blake was starting to feel a little light headed.

It certainly did not help that “Shake your booty” was playing and Yang was having a blast. 

Blake watched as Yang moved, making John Travolta look like a geek in comparison. Her hips moved in time with the beat, moving and stepping around the floor smoothly. Her arms moved around her body, guiding her smoothly into the next move. And each move was distinctly not family friendly.

‘What is this, Saturday Night Fever?!” Blake thought to herself weakly. She was beginning to develop a fever of her own as Yang spun around, flaring her jacket put flamboyantly and putting her back to Blake. 

Blake had no complaints.

As the song ended, Yang turned to walk back to the bar and met Blake’s gaze. Or more accurately, her staring, blushing gaze.

‘More like gay-ze.’ Blake thought to herself dryly as Yang grinned and walked over, her own eyes raking over Blake. Blake felt a small burst of satisfaction when Yang flushed and quickly met her eyes.

“You made it!” She yelled, seemingly delighted to see Blake.

“I did.” Blake shrugged, a small smile already tugging at her lips. “You better appreciate this, Xiao Long. I had to buy this outfit. Who the fuck has 70’s clothes lying around?!”

Yang laughed and Blake immediately felt an urge to be the cause for it again. 

‘What is happening to me?’

“Don’t worry, Blake. I’ll make it worth your while.” Yang said with a playful wink, making Blake’s heart falter. “Sooo… you ready to shake your Bellabooty?”

A high pitch noise left Blake’s throat as she turned to lean on the counter, wheezing.

“My Bella-What?!” She practically squealed, tears of mirth entering her eyes. “Oh my fucking God. Never call my ass that again! Please! I’m begging you!”

Yang, to her credit, appeared somewhat embarrassed. 

“Ugh.” She groaned, facepalming. “I don’t know why I said that. Can we pretend that didn’t happen and I was totally smooth?”

“Oh no.” Blake giggled, catching herself off guard. She couldn’t remember the last time that she giggled like that. “You are so not living that down.”

Yang rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically as she leaned on the bar next to Blake.

“You’re lucky that I like feisty women.” She smirked, playfully nudging Blake. 

“I- you-“ Blame stuttered for a moment before huffing when Yang laughed at her. “Weren’t you meant to show me how to dance for fun? So starting showing, Sweetheart.”

She grinned at the irritated growl that came from her partner.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

///////////////////////////////////

Never mind. It was bad. It was very bad.

“Geez.” Yang snorted. “And I thought ballerinas were graceful.”

Blake let out an annoyed huff as Tina Turner talked about church houses and gin houses. She was built for ballet, not whatever this was.

“Oh my gosh, no.” Yang said through an embarrassed laugh. “You gotta do it like this.”

Blake watched as Yang sidestepped from both sides, back stepped from both feet, legged her bent knees one at a time, kicked her feet out one at a time and crisscrossed her feet.

“That’s what I was doing!”

“No, you were possessed, is what you were.” Yang quipped, pointing at Blake with her prosthetic finger. “How are you this bad?!”

Despite the fact she was being criticised and made fun of, Blake couldn’t help but laugh in amusement. It didn’t feel like an attack on her as an individual. It was more playful and good natured.

It was so different to what she knew with her last partner.

“Alright kids, time for some good old fashioned ABBA! This one’s for all of my partners out there. Here’s “I’ve been waiting for you.” The DJ announced.

Blake glanced at Yang who was giving her a small, curious smile. 

“Do you want to dance?”

If it were anyone else, Blake would have immediately pulled back. Recoiled and ran. But there was something about Yang that had become almost… magnetic. A pull that drove Blake towards her.

“Sure.” Blake said, voice slightly unsure. “It might help get past some barriers if we’re just dancing for fun. Right?”

“Exactly. Where do you want my hands?” Yang asked, tilting her head slightly. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Blake gaped in surprise for a moment before shaking her head and stepping toward Yang and quietly, nervously, guiding her prosthetic hand to rest on her waist and guided their other hands up and into the air. She kept some distance in between them, her anxiety getting the better of her.

All of Yang’s cockiness has disappeared, a reassuring smile taking the place of her usual smirk as she gently guided them through the steps as the song played.

Blake kept her gaze averted, counting her breaths in her head. It had been some time since she had been this close to somebody and it was terrifying. 

But as they danced, Yang kept her hands where Blake had put them, quietly encouraging her when she made a misstep and laughing off crushed toes when Blake stepped on them, effectively cutting off Blake’s apologies with a warm smile and a gentle reminder that mistakes happen.

It was so different to everything she knew. It was calm. It was patient and understanding. It was kindness and respect. 

It was everything that Adam never was.

Eventually, Blake met Yang’s gaze and offered a small smile. One that the street dancer gladly returned.

“Where did you learn to dance like this?” Blake asked, ears pricking forward with interest.

“I didn’t jump straight into street dancing.” Yang shrugged as she effortlessly spun them out of the way of a couple. “I played around with different genres until I found one that felt right.”

“Huh. Interesting.”

“Yeah, but tonight’s all about fun.” Yang grinned playfully at her. “So let’s stop talking about our crew and enjoy ourselves!”

Blake let out a surprised laugh as Yang spun her out and back in, stopping her just before their bodies met and brought her into their original position.

‘She’s keeping my comfort zone in mind.’ Blake realised with a start. 

When dancing with Adam, he had completely disregarded her boundaries. Made her feel guilty for letting him down. Accused her of not caring. 

And this girl that she barely knew was taking Blake’s boundaries into consideration and respecting them and never pushing past them, though they hindered their ability to blend their styles.

Yang was more worried about respecting her partner than she was about winning.

‘So this is what it’s like.’ Blake thought to herself. ‘This is what it feels like to be treated as a person instead of a prop.’ 

Blake took a shaky breath and stepped closer to Yang, moving her hand from her shoulder to curl her arm around it.

Yang meet her gaze, and quirked a brow. Blake gave a small shrug and swallowed thickly as Yang’s arm wrapped around her waist and kept her close. 

But it wasn’t controlling as Adam’s may have been. It wasn’t possessive.

It was reassuring. Comforting. Blake felt… safe. 

Safe enough to let go and let the music and Yang guide her. 

And as ABBA sang about waiting for someone, Blake realised that the song resonated with her far more than she thought it would. 

///////////////////////////////////

“Woah!” Blake let out an alarmed yelp as the YMCA sent her sprawling into Yang’s arms.

“Blake!” Yang giggled, hands gently holding Blake’s biceps as Blake’s own braced against her collar. “You are awful at this!”

“I’m trained in ballet, not whatever this is!” Blake laughed, playfully smacking Yang’s bicep. 

“You mean fun?” Yang grinned cheekily as Blake stood up, sweat making her hair cling to her forehead.

“Ass.” Blake giggled. 

She really couldn’t remember when she last laughed and giggled this much. 

“All a part of the Xiao Long charm package, Princess.” Yang sighed dramatically, flexing through her shirt. Both women had taken off their jackets by this point, which showed of each of their arms and shoulders far better than before.

Both of their eyes had definitely stared to wander by this point.

“Um.” Blake shook her head, pulling her gaze from Yang’s very well defined biceps. “You might want a refund on that package.”

Yang pouted at her, pretending to wipe a tear away as Blake chuckled quietly.

Both girls perked up as another ABBA song was announced; Angel eyes.

“One more before we grab a drink?”

Blake turned to Yang with a smile and place her hand in Yang’s prosthetic one.

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

Yang smiled warmly at her and gently pulled her in, arm around her waist and paused, tilting her head questioningly. 

Blake felt her heart flutter when she realised that Yang was asking if this was okay.

She smiled softly at her and curled her arm around her shoulder, bring their other hands up again and pressing close.

Yang smiled gratefully at her and began to lead them in a dance again.

It began simply enough. A verse about warning the new beau of your ex about what a snake they were. Something that a lot of people could relate to.

But as the chorus hit, Blake felt her ears pin against her head.

_“Look into his angel eyes_   
_One look and you're hypnotised_   
_He'll take your heart and you must pay the price”_

Blake felt her breathing hitch painfully as she recalled that final meeting with Sienna. Remembered the horror as she was told about his crimes. The devastation when she realised that she loved a monster. And the torment of losing everything she had worked so hard for.

_“Look into his angel eyes_   
_You'll think you're in paradise_   
_And one day you'll find out he wears a disguise”_

It was all a sham. A mask that he wore to use her as an alibi as he destroyed lives. Lied to her. Manipulated and marked her and left her scarred. Leaving her broken.

_“Don't look too deep into those angel eyes_   
_Oh no no no no”_

-ake. Blake!”

She couldn’t breath. Her chest felt painfully tight and her vision was spinning. 

“Blake!” 

She pulled away from Yang and ran towards the back of the building, out a door and into a nearby garden, desperate for fresh air. 

She could still smell the deodorant he used to wear. Hear his voice in her head, reminding her of what a disgrace she was. She could see that sick smirk in her mind as he gripped her arm, leaving behind a mark..

“Oh God.” She sobbed, hand muffling her cries. 

She was stuck back in those days that left her scarred. She couldn’t focus and all of her therapist’s grounding exercises flew out of the window.

“Blake? Blake!” Yang slid to the ground next to her, keeping her distance as she tried to pull Blake out of her own mind.

“I can- can’t breath!” Blake whimpered, throat burning and chest tight.

“I know, honey.” Yang soothed gently, holding out her hands, palms up non-threateningly. “But I’m here. I can help you.”

Blake wanted to refuse. Wanted to pull away and ran. 

But Yang was the first person she had truly felt safe with in a long time, so instead, the terrified woman nodded, tears spilling down her face.

“Please…” she gasped painfully.

“Okay.” Yang said gently. “Can I touch you?”

Blake nodded, lungs heaving as she soon felt her hand being guided to Yang’s chest. She felt the steady rise and fall of Yang’s breathing.

“Breath with me, Blake.” Yang said softly, looking into Blake’s eyes as she scooted to sit in front of her. “I know it’s hard. I know it’s scary. But I know you can do it.”

Blake closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she forced her breathing to meet Yang’s. 

“Good. You’re doing great, Princess.” Yang murmured softly, sweetly. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. I’m not going to let anything or anyone hurt you.”

Blake took another ragged breath.

“Good, keep breathing for me. You’re doing great, Blake.”

And so it went, with each breath that they took together, Yang uttered a gentle encouragement, one hand over Blake’s where it rested on her chest and the other held her other hand and allowed Blake to squeeze it.

Eventually, Blake’s breathing, though still painful, evened out and she could breath without being guided.

Yang gently lowered Blake’s hand from her chest and held both of Blake’s hands between her own, thumbs gently caressing her skin.

“I’m so sorry.” Blake whispered, head lowered in shame. She soon felt a curled finger lift her chin gently, softly guiding and never forcing, bringing her teary gaze to meet Yang’s.

“Don’t be, Blake.” Yang gave her a small, reassuring smile. “I’ve had plenty of my own since my accident. You don’t need to apologise or explain yourself to me. Okay?”

Blake swallowed thickly and nodded, heart rate very slowly calming down.

“Don’t feel like you have to accept but… would you like a hug?”

Blake stared at her for a moment. She didn’t like being touched. She didn’t like other people being in her space.

But in one evening, Yang had made Blake feel safer and more comfortable than Adam had throughout all of her years of knowing him.

And God, did Blake want to feel safe.

“Yes, please.” She whispered, her voice sounding small, even to her own ears.

Yang slowly held out her arms and let Blake move into them before she engulfed the smaller woman. Blake curled her arms under Yang’s, clutching at the fabric near her shoulders and buried her face into a strong shoulder. 

Her ears were pressed flat to her skull and her body was still trembling from the force of the panic attack. But somehow, this one woman made her feel safe.

//////////////////////////////////

“Um.” Blake coughed awkwardly, pulling her jacket a little tighter around her body. “Thank you. For everything back there.”

“Of course.” Yang said softly as she crossed her arms and leaned against Blake’s car. “Thank you for letting me help. I know it’s not easy to do. So thank you.” 

Blake blinked in surprise. This girl was certainly more than meets the eye, wasn’t she?

“I- no. It isn’t.” She sighed softly, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully, fatigue starting to get to her. “I should get going before before I pass out.” She said, frowning. 

“Yeah.” Yang said, tilting her head at Blake. “Will you be okay to drive?”

“Yeah. I’ll be okay.” Blake offered a weak smile. “Thank you.”

“Okay. Well…” Yang hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I’m a bit of a worry wart, so is it okay if I ask you to text me when you get home? So that I know you made back safely?”

“Oh. Um. Yeah, yeah. I can do that.” The genuine care and concern in Yang’s voice took her by surprise. 

As she got into her car, a thought occurred to her.

“Yang?” She asked, ears twitching nervously as Yang bent to look through her open window, right hand resting on the top of the doorframe and quirked a curious eye brow at her. “Could I buy you a coffee sometime? As a thank you?” She asked, heart racing anxiously. 

“You don’t need to repay me, Blake.” Yang said gently, eyes soft and compassionate. 

“I know I don’t.” Blake assured. “But I want to.”

Yang searched her eyes for a moment before a small half smile crossed her lips and she nodded her head.

“Sure. I’d like that.” Yang said quietly. “We can hash out the details later. You just worry about getting home safely and resting. Okay?”

“No arguments here.” Blake said with a tired chuckle, ears dropping slightly.

“Huh. No arguments?” Yang said with a gentle, teasing smile. “Miracles do exists.”

Despite her post-panic attack fatigue, Blake found herself giggling quietly.

“Shut up.” She huffed, arms crossed and a small and very tired small on her face. “I, uh. I should go.” She said softly.

“Of course.” Yang murmured. “Drive safe, Princess.” She said softly as she stood up.

“Will do, Sweetheart.” Blake threw back.

Yang gave a small chuckle and stepped back, throwing her jacket over one shoulder and giving Blake a two fingered salute as Blake started her car and watched her pull away.

As Blake drove home, she couldn’t help but wonder what force it was that pulled her to “Greek Fire.” What was it that made it so easy to get along with Yang? And what was it that pushed her into Yang’s arms tonight? 

Was theirs a fated meeting? Or was it merely coincidence?

Either way, Blake knew one thing for sure.

Choosing to let herself connect with Yang was proving to be a wise decision already. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs included in this chapter:
> 
> “Shake your booty.” by KC and the Sunshine Band
> 
> “I’ve been waiting for you.” by ABBA
> 
> “YMCA.” by Village People
> 
> “Angel eyes.” by ABBA


	7. Opening Up.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making the decision to make connections is a hard one. What’s even harder is opening up to those connections and allowing them to see a far more vulnerable side to you. A side that’s been hurt and left in tatters. A side that you’ve been working so hard to heal. 
> 
> A side that Yang had suspected existed behind the walls of snark and attitude that Blake put up. But when Blake lowers those walls, Yang learns why they were even up in the first place.

“Hey, Velvet. How’s the cutest barista in the world?”

Yang lowered her aviator glasses and winked playfully at Velvet, knowing full well how this interaction was about to go down.

“Hello, Yang.” Velvet laughed, her ears flicking in amusement. “I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m great… more so now that I’m talking to you.”

5, 4, 3, 2 and…

“Xiao Long. I will not hesitate to kick your break dancing ass if you talk to my girlfriend like that again.”

1.

“Aw, don’t be jelly, Adele.” Yang grinned at Coco, who regarded her with a slight smirk. “You’re a cutie, too. Unfortunately, neither of you are my type.”

“Oh? Speaking of types…” Coco leaned forward and lowered her glasses as Yang put her own in her flannel pocket. “I have heard about this new dance partner of yours. When do I get to meet her?”

“Right now, apparently.”

A dry and sarcastic voice from behind Yang made them all jump.

“Belladonna!” Yang barked, running a hand down her face. “You scared the shit out of me!”

“Good.” Blake grinned up at her, thumbs slipping into the waist band of her ripped jeans. “Means there’s going to be less shit for you spit out.”

“Oh, I like her.” Coco said quietly from behind the counter. “She’s feisty. Velvet? Let’s keep her.”

“Coco, hush.” Velvet scolded gently before turning to Blake. “It’s lovely to see you again, Blake. And might I give you my condolences that you have to work with this one?”

“Wow. Thanks.” Yang said dryly, arms crossed. “Really feeling the love, girls.”

“You can.” Blake laughed, ears flicking towards Yang for a moment. “But she’s proving to be… worth the trouble.” 

When she turned to give Yang a playful smile, Yang could tell that there was a different note to it than the day they first met. No less attitude, but certainly with less bite.

“Glad that I could challenge your expectations.” Yang huffed, playfully bumping Blake hip with her own, earning a heart melting giggle. “Now… about that coffee… does that include something to eat?” She added teasingly, winking playfully at the shorter woman beside her.

“Sure.” Blake said, rolling her eyes in amusement. “Take your pick, Sweetheart.”

“One; I told you not to call me sweetheart.” Yang huffed, feeling her cheeks heat up. “Two; I was just kidding.”

“I know.” Blake smirked, eyebrow raised. “I wasn’t.”

Yang stared Blake down for a moment before sighing and turning to a very amused Velvet and placing her order.

And she purposely ignored how happy it made her to see that Blake had bounced back.

/////////////////////////////////

“… Oh my God. Please, tell me that you’re lying.” Blake snorted, hand covering her mouth as she giggled.

“I’m serious!” Yang laughed, taking a bite of her blackberry muffin. “Weiss was being a lil shit so… when she asked me to teach her something to impress Pyrrha, I taught her how to krump.”

“God!” Blake wheezed around her green tea. “What is with you and the krump?!”

“Forces people to have low expectations of me.” Yang said with a shrug, taking a sip of her black coffee. “Not that it’s that hard. Blonde and good looking… people see you a particular way. Just gotta keep it that way until it’s time to compete.”

Blake tilted her head as she put down her tea and leaned forward, a soft hum escaping her as she observed Yang.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Blake said quietly, looking down into her tea and biting her lip. “I just… It’s a shame that people see you that way. I mean..” Blake coughed awkwardly and gave Yang a nervous smile. “We may not know each other well but… you’re obviously far more intelligent and compassionate than people give you credit for.”

“Hey, don’t feel bad.” Yang said, grinning to hide the flushing of her cheeks. “It works great in competition. Even if it does make personal connections hard.”

“Believe me.” Blake murmured, resting her chin delicately on the back of her hand as she leaned on the table and stared out of the window. “I know about the difficulties of personal connections.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment as both young women drank their drinks.

“I- um.” Blake cleared her throat as she met Yang’s eyes. “Thank you. For the other night. For showing me what it was like to find the fun in dance again. And for… for helping me. I had fun.” Her smile became forced, a mask. “Even if I did sorta ruin it at the end, there.” Her laugh was just as forced. As though bringing herself down would dispel any animosity in their air. It was mildly concerning.

“You didn’t ruin anything.” Yang said gently, giving Blake a reassuring smile. “You had a panic attack. They happen. And we can’t always stop them. Sometimes, we need a bit of help.”

“Still…” Blake said, shifting awkwardly. “I… don’t like people seeing me like that. It’s not often that they can understand. Even less common is somebody being able to help me through it so… thank you. For being there.”

“Of course.” Yang said quietly, her heart strings tugging. It was easy for her to surmise that somebody had hurt Blake. Made her put up walls made of snark and attitude to ward people off. It was… sad to think that somebody could have made this woman so scared to make connections with people. Community was good for the soul, as her mum used to say. “You’re a part of our team now, Blake. We take care of our own.”

“…right.” 

It was almost heartbreaking to see the brief moment of confusion on Blake’s face. As though the very idea of having people watching out for each other was foreign.

“Um. I feel like I should… explain why I behaved the way I did.” Blake said, voice catching in her throat. 

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.” Blake assured, that same glint of determination that she had when she invited Yang our for coffee. Yang respected it. 

“So…” Blake started, hands curling around her mug. “I’ve done ballet since I was two. It was… my everything. I loved it.” A soft smile crossed Blake’s face and a wistful tone entered her voice. “To challenge myself every day, to see how far I could learn and grow. It was like learning that I could fly. And knowing that I could one day tell stories? To make people cry and laugh and feel?” Blake sighed, hand in her palm as she looked at Yang. “I couldn’t get enough of it.”

“Sounds like your parents knew what they were doing.” Yang chuckled softly. “If it made you so happy.”

“Agreed.” Blake said, smiling sweetly before it fell. “I joined the White Fang Ballet when I was eighteen.”

“The White Fang?” Yang smirked playfully. “No wonder you’re so confident as a performer. You have to be good to wind up with them.”

“Yeah, well.” Blake shrugged. “My teachers and I poured blood, sweat and tears into my career so…”

Blake bit her lip, ears pinning against her head as she took a deep breath.

“The White Fang paired me up with another dancer. He was a bit older than me and more experienced. They figured that his experience could help lead me into becoming a better dancer.” A bitter smile crossed Blake’s face as a dark, mirthless chuckle tumbled from her chest. “And it did. But it cost me everything.”

“What do you mean?” Yang questioned gently, leaning forward and giving Blake her upmost attention.

“He was charming. He was strong and passionate. And I liked that. I thought that he understood me.” Blake’s voice was quiet, controlled. “And he did. And he took advantage of that. As I fell deeper into his web, I had no time left for my family or friends. Everything that I did was wrong so I had to do better. Become stronger. Train harder.” Blake sighed heavily. “Because that’s how I proved that I loved him.”

Yang felt her blood run cold. Then it began to boil. To treat your partner like that…

“Eventually, loving him meant covering for him when things went wrong. Loving him meant ignoring the late nights and the ripped clothes and blood. Loving him meant trusting him when he said that it was just a fight at a bar.” Blake lips twisted into a furious snarl. “It was never just a fight at a bar. It was theft. It was assault. And even murder! And I covered for him every time our Director asked me about him.”

“Blake…” Yang whispered, heart breaking for the woman across from her. She was beginning to see exactly why Blake put those walls up.

“Eventually, he got caught and the evidence was too much. Not even I could deny it.” Blake bit her lip for a moment before continuing. “The Director called me in and more or less told me that, as an unknowing accomplice to his crimes, I was to be removed from the ballet and blacklisted from all other companies across Remnant.”

“Oh my God.” Yang murmured compassionately, shaking her head in disbelief. “I am so, so sorry, Blake. I- I can’t even imagine what that must have been like. Can I ask how long ago?”

“Six months.” Blake said quietly. “I couldn’t stay where I was after three so I moved here, started seeing a therapist and got a job as a journalist.” She let out a indignant snort. “I’ve never been the kinda girl to just sit there. I need to move. So I made the choice to try to get better. No matter how broken I was.”

“You’re not broken.” Yang said gently, expression soft. “You were badly hurt and needed time to heal. But you chose to get help. That’s really brave of you.”

“You… sound like my therapist.” Blake said dryly, reaching up to wipe her eyes slightly.

“Then your therapist sounds like a wise woman.”

The two sat in silence for a moment as Blake composed herself until Yang spoke up.

“Is there anything that I can do?”

“Don’t change how you treat me.” Blake said immediately, eyes narrowed and ears pinned. “I am still a capable dancer. I don’t need to be protected. And I’m not made of glass. I’m not going to shatter.”

“Sure thing, Giselle.” Yang quipped, not missing a beat and giving Blake a soft smile. “Can’t treat you like glass when you’re made out of pure smartassery.”

Blake blinked at her in surprise before her hand covered her mouth, stifling a laugh and hiding a small smile.

“Ass.” Blake snorted, a watery laugh escaping her. “And um. Would you mind not spreading this around? I came here for a fresh start so...”

“You don’t even need to ask, Blake.” Yang said kindly, arms crossed on the table and giving her eye contact. “That’s your story. I don’t get to be a narrator for it.”

Blake blinked in surprise again. The fact that the poor woman seemed so surprised by her wants and needs being taken into consideration was definitely gut wrenching. 

“Thank you.”

“Do not thank me for treating you like a person.” Yang said firmly, yet gently. “Do not thank me for giving you common respect and courtesy.”

Blake wiped her eyes again and gave Yang a small smile.

“Now you really sound like Dr. Peach.”

“Yeah? Well… she sounds like a real peach of a woman.”

Yang grinned when Blake groaned and rubbed her eyes.

“I regret all of my decisions.”

“Yeah?” Yang asked teasingly. “That why you invited me out to coffee?”

“No, I invited you out to coffee because I like having something pretty to look at.”

“Um!” Yang.exe has stopped working. Please reboot. “I-Uh. Th-Thanks?”

Blake laughed softly and bit her lip. 

“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Yang.” Blake said quietly, a small smile on her face. “But I should probably go and work on my newest piece for work.”

“Oh! Yeah, totally.” Yang grinned as they stood up and made their way out of the café. “This was fun! I mean.. Not everything was fun but not everything has to be fun, ya know?”

“Indeed.”

“And uh. You know…” Yang paused awkwardly near Blake’s car as the ballerina turned to face her, head tilted curiously. “You’re right. We don’t know each other well. But I’d really like to be friends.”

“Really?” Blake seemed genuinely taken back by that. 

“Yeah. You’re a pretty cool person, Blake.” Yang said with a warm smile. “You know… for a such Twinkle Toes.”

“Wow. You make it so hard to say no.” Blake deadpanned, rolling her eyes. “But it probably would be best if I get to know my dance partner outside of, well, dance.” She huffed, eyebrow quirked.

“Sooo… friends?”

“Sure.” Blake laughed, hand covering her mouth. “Friends sounds great.”

“You’ll regret that in a few weeks.” 

“I already do.”

“Wow.” Yang gasped, pretending to be hurt. “Feisty, even when we’re friends?” She allowed a grin to cross her face as she leaned against a nearby pole. “I like it.”

“Of course you do.” Blake said with a amused smile as she unlocked her car. “But um. Seriously, Yang. Thank you. It’s been… nice talking with you.”

“Yeah. You too.” Yang said softly.

“I-um. I need to go but I’ll see you tomorrow for practice?” 

“Of course.” Yang grinned cheekily. “We got some butt to whoop, Princess.”

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Sweetheart.” Blake snorted as she opened her door and stepped into the car. 

“Unfortunately.” Yang said with a playful wink, her heart fluttering at the resulting giggle.

“See you then, Yang.” Blake said with a small, lopsided smile as she started her car and drive off, leaving Yang waving behind her.

Yang sighed to herself softly. She had been suspecting that Blake had a difficult time trusting her for a reason. But this was beyond anything that she had been expecting.

Blake Belladonna was, evidently, a woman that had been left in tatters when a her ex partner had broken her down. But she was still standing, choosing to get help and choosing to trust Yang, for some reason.

Yang didn’t know if she’d ever find out why nor did she know how long they would be in each other’s lives. Maybe they were meant to pass through each other’s lives briefly. Or maybe a lifelong friendship could be formed. 

But there was one thing that Yang knew for sure; whatever time they spent together? It would definitely be worth the effort put in.

An idea that got easier to believe with each moment that she spent in Blake’s company.


	8. Banned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang have been getting along fabulously since they went out for coffee.
> 
> Perhaps a little too well, if you were to ask the rest of their crew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partially based on a conversation with a friend.

“I still can’t believe that you got me banned from the group chat.” 

Blake looked up from where she sat on the floor as her partner came over to rest in front of her, chest heaving slightly as she handed Blake a water bottle.

“I feel no remorse.” Blake said with a smirk, lightly nudging Yang with her foot playfully. Since their coffee date, the two had slowly progressed through both their friendship and their performance. 

“Nor should you.” Yang huffed as she flopped onto her back, grinning up at Blake cheekily. “It’s not our fault that they fail to understand our genius.”

Blake hid a giggle behind her hand. Honestly, she and Yang may have over done it with the ballet memes. But neither could resist the siren call that was the group’s confusion and pure frustration at their antics. It was a miracle that it took this long for Pyrrha to go “mum mode,” as Yang had affectionately called it, and ban them front the chat for a week. The woman had even used the phrase “grounded” to describe their punishment.

“Please tell me that we’re going to torment them again when we’re invited back in.” Blake said, her left ear flicking in amusement. “Their reactions were my reality TV.”

“Oh Princess!” Yang cooed in a sickly sweet tone, sitting up and gently taking a hold of Blake’s hands, looking at her in earnest. “I would never dream of taking away something that brings you such joy. Truly, I could not even think about taking this from you!” 

“Oh good.” Blake snorted, ignoring the way her cheeks warmed up. “And here I was worried that I would have to return to my boring, mundane life.”

“Listen, Swan Lake, you gave up boring and mundane the moment you walked trough those doors.” Yang smirked as she pulled away, winking playfully at Blake as she took a drink. Blake was only mildly distracted by the droplet of water that carved a path down Yang’s throat. “Welcome to the batshit fuckery that is our group chat.”

“I thought that that was just this group in general?”

“Eh, that too.”

Blake chuckled as she recalled her entrance into the chat. To put it lightly, it had involved a lot of screaming, memes and a long running joke about Pyrrha being the chosen one. Blake was still somewhat confused about that one.

On the plus side, Ruby, Yang’s little sister, seemed to have immediately imprinted on Blake when she discovered that Blake had a tendency to hurl ballet based memes at people until they wished to murder her just to escape the confusion. It was oddly heartwarming.

The best part had been watching chaos unfold as she and Yang traded said ballet based memes back and forth, knowing that nobody else would understand them. There had been many death threats (mostly by Weiss) and incoherent screaming that followed before Pyrrha finally put a ban on the resident gremlins.

It was definitely worth it and it was definitely happening again.

//////////////////////////////////

“No. No. No!” Blake groaned, covering her eyes in disgust. “You- How is your body even capable of moving like that? Your chest should move in relation to the rest of your torso. You look like The Exorcist or something!”

Blake opened her eyes and glared at Yang suspiciously as the street dancer continued to shift her chest and torso, looking distinctly inhuman.

“Oh my God!”

Blake let of a yell of of disgust and cringe as Yang jolted her torso in a way that looked like it had completely dislocated from the rest of her body.

“You can literally put your head between your own ankles from a standing position!”

“Yeah! But I don’t look like I’m about to spew pea soup at a priest!”

“No, But you do look like you’re about to crawl out a fucking TV!”

The two women stared defiantly at each other before Yang let out a snorting giggle and soon, both girls were leaning on their knees and laughing freely.

‘This is nice,’ Blake thought to herself as she recovered and smirked softly at her partner as they mapped out their individual steps. ‘To laugh openly with someone without second guessing everything I do and say.’

“Maybe we both freak people out a little.” Yang muttered as she went through their notes with a smile.

“But that’s what makes it so fun.” Blake grinned playfully, thoroughly enjoying herself.

“And this is why you’re a bad influence on me, you Gremlin.” Yang snorted, frowning as she scribbled something out in her notebook before smirking at Blake. “You’re leading me to the dark side. Isn’t it usually the other way round?”

“Eh.” Blake shrugged, leaning over Yang’s shoulder to look at what she had written down so far, trying to ignore the rather appealing warmth of the other woman. “I like to subvert tropes, Sweetheart. Keeps things exciting.”

“Well, Princess.” Yang chuckled softly, smirk shifting into something that felt far more fond. Almost tender. “You certainly keep me on my toes.”

“I guess I am pretty on pointe, huh?”

“Hey, I’m just happy that you’re never leo-tardy.”

“Ugh, that one was just tutu bad, Yang.”

Yang opened her mouth to continue their their back and forth but then, Pyrrha’s head poked in the door with a very pointed glare.

“Can you two refrain from making ballet jokes for longer than five minutes when in each other’s company?” She asked wearily, despite the twitching of her lips that indicates that she fighting back a smile. “This is exactly why I banned you both from the group chat.”

“It’s not our fault that we’re hilarious and you’re all a buncha sticks in the mud.” Yang grinned cockily, reaching over to playfully nudge Blake. “We’re just too good for y’all.”

“Blake.” Pyrrha sighed, giving Blake a betrayed look. “I had hoped that you’d be on our side and bring her down a peg or two. Not encourage her!”

“Hey, I’m a freelancer.” Blake smirked smugly. “Sometimes I keep Yang’s ego in check and others? I choose to mess the rest of you.”

“By hurling memes and puns that only you and Yang can understand?”

“Yup”  
“You get it.”

Blake and Yang shared a smirk and high fived.

“Oh joy.” Pyrrha muttered sarcastically before smiling softly. “Well, at least you two are getting on well, I suppose.”

“Well…” Blake laughed softly, glancing at Yang out of the corner of her eye. “Sometimes, you need to actually read the book in order to discover that you like it.”

“Aw, Princess!” Yang cooed teasingly. “You like me?”

“No, I was talking about Weiss.”

“Rude!”

Blake shared a look with Pyrrha as the taller woman giggled and shook her head, leaving the room with a fond, almost proud expression on her face.

“Okay… but you do like me better that Weiss, right?” Yang insisted, narrowing her eyes at Blake. “Because some days, you two look like you’re ready to murder each other and I’d rather stay off of your hit list.”

“Oh.” Blake chuckled lowly, nonchalantly examining her nails. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Uh… Yeah! I would!” Yang yelled, her arms flailing dramatically. “I need to know if I should hire a bodyguard or something.”

“It would be a shame if something happened to that body of yours.” Blake sighed as she winked at her partner. “Such a waste of good material.”

“Ma-material?!” Yang sputtered, cheeks darkening slightly. “What kind of material am I made out of here?!”

“Girlfriend material.” Blake answered without skipping a beat and standing up and stretching as Yang nearly choked. “But in more mundane news, I need to head out. My boss is killing me with this new work load and I need to stay on top of it.”

“Convenient excuse.” Yang muttered, rolling her eyes. “Nah, I get it. Go be the next Clark Kent or something.”

“Don’t I need to be a hero for that to happen?” Blake questioned, her left ear flicking in amusement.

“You could be my hero.” Yang smirked playfully at her. “Id let you pick me up any day.”

“Uh.” Blake faltered for a moment and ducked her head for a moment. She could feel herself blushing and her ears were pinned back in embarrassment for a moment before she let out a soft laugh. “Very funny, Sweetheart.”

The two stood their awkwardly for a moment before Blake let out an awkward cough and hefted her bag into her shoulder and walked towards the door.

“I need to go… but like always, it’s been great working with you this evening.” She said quietly, giving Yang a small half smile. “Goodbye, Yang.”

“Oh! Uh, yeah!” Yang grinned and waved at her awkwardly. “Later!”

Blake shook her head with a smile and walked out to her car.

Each time they worked together, Blake left feeling a little lighter than she did upon arrival. Dancing with Yang, laughing and making fun of each other? It was proving to be a rather… delightful time. 

There was no denying it now. She was quickly becoming fond of Yang. An instinctual part of her screamed to run, to sever whatever connection had been formed and hide from it all.

But she quickly shoved that part of her away. She couldn’t keep sabotaging herself like that. She couldn’t keep pushing people away when they got to close.

And for the first time in a long time, she didn’t want to.


	9. A Choice Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending a couple of weeks practicing their different dance styles and learning how each other moves, Blake and Yang decide to discuss their song choice at Blake’s place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!
> 
> Gah! Sorry this one took so long to get out, folks. For some reason, I was struggling with what to write for this chapter. But here it is!

“No. Absolutely not.” Yang glowered at her dance partner from across Blake’s living room floor as they had a very heated debate. 

“Yang-“

“No! No amount of big ol’ amber eyes are gonna get me to cave!”

“I only have the two.”

“I- could you stop being a little shit for five minutes, woman?!” Yang yelled as she fell back against the floor dramatically. “I’m serious. I’m not letting you contaminate my precious pepperoni pizza with your anchovies!”

“It’ll be on my half of the pizza!”

“It’ll still be touching my half of the pizza and contaminating it!” Yang retorted indignantly, snorting when Blake rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me that sass!”

“I’ll give you as much sass as I damn well please, thank you very much. Insulting my anchovies… who do you think you are?” Blake said with mock offence, her ears flicking in amusement. 

“The best thing that ever happened to you, Swan Lake.” Yang smirked, tossing Blake a wink as she leaned on her elbows, delighting in the flush that crept along Blake’s cheeks.

“No, your sister’s the best thing to have ever happened to me. She fixed my laptop the other day.” Blake grinned cheekily over at her. 

“Ugh. Great. Yet another person that I must contend with for your attention.” Yang snorted, chuckling softly. “You’re making this real hard on me, huh?”

Blake simply let out a quiet giggle. It resonated with something that had started to grow in Yang’s chest and fed it, made it grow larger and brighter than before. It wasn’t entirely unwelcome.

“Okay. How about this: rock, paper, scissors to see whether or not you get your stupid anchovies.”

“You’re on.”

////////////////////////////////

“I can’t fucking believe this.” Yang grumbled in a good natured manner as she tore off a bite of her pizza. “I swear I can taste your anchovies on my half of the damn thing.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, you big baby.” Blake sighed, reaching over to cuff Yang’s shoulder playfully. “You’re fine.”

“Fine, huh?” Yang wiggled her brows playfully. “What kinda fine we talkin’ about here, Princess?”

“I’m not going to dignify that with an answer.”

“You kinda just did.”

“Oh my God. Can we… just get to talking about our song? Please?”

“Sure.” Yang laughed softly, deciding to cut her friend some slack. “We need to pick something so that we can start adjusting our moves to it. Any suggestions?”

“Um… I do have one.” Blake muttered as she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her playlist. Yang tilted her head curiously as Blake bit her lip thoughtfully and smiled when Blake’s nose scrunched up slightly in concentration. Her ears tilted forward every so lightly and her amber eyes were darting across her screen. How could she make something so mundane look so pretty? “Alright. Here.”

Yang leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes, quietly listening to the music. It was a beautiful song, heartbreaking and pleading. Slow in some parts and picked up in others. It was soft and powerful… and it was a lot different to what was normally played at their competitions… but the song would allow for both her and Blake to both shine through. And the lyrics… something about them was so… perfect. 

“I think…” Yang murmured soft as she opened her eyes, lilac meeting amber. “That we just found our song.”

Blake smiled at her and hummed happily, grabbing a fresh piece of pizza and biting into it, the melted cheese hitting her chin in a most undignified manner. Yang fought back the urge to wipe her chin, settling for grabbing her own slice of pizza.

“It-ahem.” She cleared her throat when it cracked and tried again. “It’s a gorgeous song.” 

“Beth Crowley always writes the most beautiful songs. They never disappoint.” Blake said softly, plucking an anchovy off the pizza base and tossing it into her mouth. “I don’t know. Something about that song felt…. It just felt like the right song… you know?”

“Yeah. I do.” Yang said gently, smiling softly at Blake as she ate. 

Perhaps it wasn’t just the song that felt right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, folks... you won’t get to discover what song they chose until the competition. 
> 
> But I will tell you this; Beth Crowley is an singer/songwriter on YouTube and she has quite few songs that I associate with the girls. For those of you who know her already... I wonder if you can guess what song I chose.


	10. Thus Kindly, We Scatter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grief is a powerful thing.

“Blake! Thank goodness you’re here!”

Blake glanced up at Pyrrha as the redhead ran over, her face pinched in anxiety. The poor girl appeared pale, her green eyes wide in concern.

“Yeah, hey, Pyrrha.” Blake said carefully, her right hand gripping her bag strap tightly. “What’s up?”

“Has Yang spoken to you lately? She’s not answering any of my calls and she’s late for practice. You know that she never misses practice.” Pyrrha bit her lip anxiously when Blake shook her head. “Shoot. This is bad. This is very, very bad.”

“She’s already missed practice twice this week. Did something happen?”

“I-“ Pyrrha sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes wearily. “Yang and I… had a minor disagreement over the weekend. Shes having a tough time and… I think that… she was having a particularly bad day that day. One thing led to another and now, she’s not answering anyone’s calls, apart from Ruby. She’s not showing up for practice and I am this close to storming her apartment. But… I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go if I was the one to set her off.” Pyrrha sighed and gave Blake a weak, hopeful smile. “Could you… you and Yang have become pretty close. Could you go check on her? Please? I’ll give you my spare key to her place.”

“Um… sure. I’ll help out.” Blake said quietly, her ears pinning anxiously. If Yang was in such a bad state, then she wouldn’t waste time. She didn’t know exactly what had happened but she didn’t need to know. 

“Great. I’ll go grab it. Thank you, Blake.”

“Yeah. Of course.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////

Blake frowned as she entered Yang’s apartment, sliding Pyrrha’s key into her bag and swallowing thickly. She didn’t like this. The lights being switched off, empty food cartons strewn across the kitchen counter, dirty dishes in the sink and clothes just thrown haphazardly around combined with Yang not showing up for practice for the third time that week and refusing to answer any calls… it was like looking into a goddamn mirror and Blake felt her chest construct tightly. She knew dark days like an intimate friend. She knew how it spoke, how easily it could reach into the furthest corners of your mind and make you shut down and self-isolate. She knew how lonely it was. And it tugged at her heart strings terribly to think that her dancer partner and friend had succumbed to it somehow. 

“Yang?”

Blake’s voice seemed to echo throughout the dark apartment. She sighed sadly at the sight of photo albums strewn across the floor of the living room. Most of the photos were of a woman with black hair that faded into red with silver eyes, carrying two little girls on her hips. One that looked a lot like her and one with blonde hair and lilac eyes. Some of the photos appeared to have water damage. Blake didn’t need to guess what from.

“Oh Yang.” Blake whispered to herself and the empty room, carefully making her towards where Pyrrha said that Yang’s bedroom would be. “What happened?”

She hesitated at the door and knocked, waiting patiently.

“Go away, Pyrr. I’m not in the mood for your mama bear shit.” 

Blake winced. While Yang and Pyrrha traded verbal blows back and forth, there was always an undertone of playfulness and love. They truly cared about and respected one another, pulling back and apologising when they crossed a line. So it was certainly a bit of a shock to hear Yang address Pyrrha with such shortness and bluntness… and so coldly.

“Try again, Sweetheart.” Blake called through the door, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. 

“… Blake?”

“There you go.” Blake answered, keeping her voice as calm as possible despite the way her nerves jumped around. “Pyrrha asked me to come and check on you. It… sounds like you two had a fight of some kind.”

“You… could say that.”

“Yang…” Blake hesitated. Yang’s voice sounded so drained of emotion. Gruff and raspy… a sign that she had spent a good chunk of time crying. She decided that she couldn’t leave Yang like this. She had come to care about her dance partner quite a lot and just leaving her when she was clearly not okay… didn’t sit right with Blake. “Can I come in?”

“… no.”

“Okay.” Blake glanced out into the apartment and sighed. “I won’t come in. But I’m not leaving your place with it looking like this. You rest and take all the time you need and I’ll tidy things up for you. Is that okay?”

“Do what you want.”

Blake sighed again. She knew the apathy that Yang was experiencing very well. But at least Blake could help out in some small way.

“Alright, Belladonna.” She murmured to herself gently, ears flicking determinedly. “Time to help out a friend.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////

It had taken some time but Blake now had Yang’s apartment up to scratch. The photo albums had been neatly stacked on the coffee table, the rubbish put in bags and taken out and the dishes were washed. Now, Blake was in the midst of drying and putting them away for her friend.

“There’s a garden that I know,” Blake sang softly to herself, occasionally glancing towards the hall where Yang sat holed up in her room. “If you meet me there, no one will know. In the spring time, in the sun; we can be there without-“

“I didn’t know you sang.”

A raspy voice broke her concentration, nearly making her drop her glass. Blake let out a yelp and juggled the glass for a moment before grabbing it with both hands and turning to see Yang leaning weakly against the doorframe. 

“Only- only when I’m cleaning.” Blake huffed lightly, placing a hand over her racing heart and turning back to her task. “As my mum used to say, washing up’s a treat when the little bird tweets.”

“That’s… really dorky.”

“Yeah, well, now you know where I get it from.” Blake said dryly as she placed the last of the dishes into the cupboard and wiped down the counter before turning and facing Yang, leaning against the bench and smiling at her softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit.”

“Yeah.” Blake sighed softly, her smile shifting to one of sadness. “Bad days fucking suck.”

“Yeah.” Yang mumbled. Blake carefully examined her. Her hair was a dull mess, little to no care having been done to it in several days. Her skin was pale, with large bags under her eyes. Her eyes, themselves, were darker, the usual vibrant light within lilac was now missing. Her clothes were in a state of disarray and her body appeared to have no energy. Blake knew that story well. “Thanks… for all of this.” Yang muttered gruffly, looking down and away. “You didn’t have to.”

“No, but I personally know how overwhelming this stuff can be when the bad days come. It piles up and keeps piling up until you feel like you’re drowning. Having a bit of help can do wonders. It wasn’t any trouble at all.” Blake shrugged, looking up at the ceiling before looking back at Yang. “Thank you for letting me help.”

“It’s whatever.” Yang said quietly as she glanced around her. “You even picked up my albums.”

“I didn’t know where to put them. So I just popped them on the coffee table.” Blake said calmly, following Yang to the living room where she ran a hand over the albums affectionately. 

“Thanks.” Yang exhaled shakily as she sat on the couch heavily, curling her arms around herself protectively. “Pyrrha sent you, huh? She’s probably worried.”

“Yes.” Blake said gently as she sat on Yang’s left and frowned at the guilt in Yang’s eyes. “We all are. You’ve been missing practice and not taking calls. We wanted to make sure that you were safe.”

“So… she doesn’t hate me for blowing up at here.” Yang mumbled, sniffling lightly. 

“Of course she doesn’t. You’re her best friend, Yang. She loves you.” Blake said softly, heart aching at the sight of Yang’s shaky left hand. “Mistakes happen. Sometimes, we accidentally lash out at people when we’re hurting. We learn from it and try to do better in the future. But you’re not a bad person for letting your hurt get the better of you, Yang.”

“You- you sound like a fucking therapist or something.”

“Dr. Peach is rubbing off on me.” Blake sighed, gently shifting closer to her friend and exhaling in relief when she didn’t pull away. “I guess it’s a good thing that her lessons are paying off.” Blake hesitated for a moment before placing her hand on Yang’s shoulder, rubbing it with her thumb softly, before she spoke again. “Do you… want to talk about it?”

“It’s the anniversary of my mum’s passing.” Yang said, her voice thick as her knee started to bounce anxiously. “She… d-died when I was- when I was, like, 8. It still- it still hurts.”

“Oh Yang.” Blake breathed, her heart twisting painfully as Yang’s voice cracked. She gently pulled Yang into her side and held her. “I’m so sorry.”

“She- She’s the one who put me in ballet. When I- when I got kicked out, it was like I lost my last connection to her.” Yang’s body almost seemed to give out, causing her to lean against Blake heavily. “It was like losing her all over again!” Yang turned to burrow her face into Blake’s shoulder, silent tears wetting her shirt as Blake wrapped her arms around the distressed woman and held her gently.

“Yang… god. I’m so sorry.”

“The worst part is that she wasn’t even my real mum.” Yang mumbled, her words spilling from her like water from a broken dam. “She was my step-mum. My real mum abandoned my father and me when I was born. It- she didn’t want me but Summer did. She chose me and- and loved me and now, the one connection I had to her is gone because of a goddamn drunk motherfucker!” 

Yang’s breathing hitched violently, a ragged sob ripping from her throat as Blake pulled her firmly against her, cupping the back of her head and softly soothing her as Yang let her tears fall. It was hard to see the usually vibrant and playful woman in such a state but Blake had long since discovered that there was much more to Yang than met the eye. Who knew how many pages had been damaged in her story?

It took some time but eventually, her tears dwindled to a stop and she let herself fall into Blake’s lap as Blake gently rubbed her bicep soothingly.

“I am so, so sorry, Yang. I’m so sorry.” Blake murmured softly, ears pinning. She didn’t know what else she could say. To think that somebody had left Yang like that, let alone her own mother; it left a sour taste in her mouth. “Is there… anything I can do?”

“No, no.” Yang rasped weakly, refusing to meet Blake’s eyes. “You’ve- you’ve done too much already. Thank you, though.”

“Of course, Yang. You- you’re my friend. Of course I’m going to help you.” 

“Still… not many people have seen me like this.” Yang muttered, frowning. 

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to treat you any differently.” Blake gave Yang a half smile. “You’re still the same insufferable, smug smartass dance partner as you’ve always been.”

Yang let out a small bark of laughter. It was small and weak but it was a start.

“God. I need to apologise to Pyrrha.” Yang said quietly, sitting up running a shaky hand through her hair, grimacing slightly. “I can’t even remember what I got so mad about.”

“What you need to do is focus on yourself right now. Rest, drink water and eat. Worry about Pyrrha later, okay?”

“I- I guess.” Yang mumbled, as a yawn split her face in two. “I’m kind of tired.”

“I don’t blame you, Sweetheart.” Blake said softly, smiling kindly at her friend. “I’ll let you get some rest… but please just send us a short text so that we know that you’re okay.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you.” Blake said gratefully as she stood up and hesitated before leaning over to pull Yang into a hug. “Take care of yourself. If you need any of us, just text us, okay? We care about you, you dork.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Yang mumbled into Blake’s shoulder, sighing softly. “I get it.”

“I’ll leave now…” Blake said, part of her not wanting to leave but knowing well enough when somebody needed to be left alone. “But you have my number. Use it if you need me.”

“Yeah, thanks, Princess.” Yang smiled weakly up at her as she walked to the door. “See you.”

“See you, Yang.” Blake said with a soft smile before leaving and heading back home.

//////////////////////////////////////////////

The following Monday, Blake was talking with Weiss and Neptune about their travesty of a routine when they all looked up at the sound of the front doors opening. Blake let of a sigh of relief as Yang met her eyes and smiled shyly at her, gratitude gleaming in her lilac eyes before she walked over to Pyrrha. Blake watched as the two women spoke for a moment before Pyrrha reached out and yanked Yang into a firm hug, tucking Yang’s face into her neck as Yang wrapped her arms around Pyrrha’s waist.

Blake smiled and turned back to see Neptune trying to charm Weiss with another smile as the poor girl pinched her nose and stared at Blake helplessly. Blake simply shook her head and laughed under her breath. Things were back to being okay again.

At least… for now.


	11. Well... Shit.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang come ato a rather... alarming discovery regarding her attraction to Blake.

Yang caught Blake by the nape of her neck and lowered herself to her knees, angling her partner over her legs and running a hand down her side to rest in on her hip. She gazed into amber eyes, their noses grazing as their exerted breathes mingled. Blake’s hand was warm against her neck, her back arched and perfectly conforming to Yang’s body as the song came to a close.

“That… hah, that was better.” Yang panted as she stood and helped Blake to her feet before locking her hands behind her head. Her chest burned and her lungs screamed and she knew that she’d feel this routine in the morning but God, was it fun. “We… we might just make it, Swan Lake.”

“Naturally.” Blake laughed breathlessly, a teasing smirk on her face as she rested her hands on her hips, chest heaving as she spoke. “I am a professional after all, sweetheart.”

Yang groaned and rolled her eyes, her lips twitching at the laugh that escaped Blake. She sounded… happier. Yang rather liked it.

“Hey, c’mere.” Yang said as she walked to her bag and moved it to grab something that she had hidden out of sight, suddenly feeling nervous. “I, um. I wanted to thank you for the other week… when you helped me? But I didn’t know how so… here.”

Blake’s eyes widened in surprise as Yang handed her a bouquet of flowers, with a sunflower placed in the centre of them all. Blake’s ears pulled back and flicked forwards, confusion and surprise colouring her expression.

“Yang… why would-“

“Because you’re kind of the only person that’s as stubborn as I am.” Yang said awkwardly, rubbing her neck nervously. “Usually, people give up when I tell them to leave or they don’t know what to do because… I don’t know. They don’t get what it’s like to be trapped in your own mind like that. But you get it and… somehow, you knew what I needed and you didn’t give up, like most new people do. Pyrrha and Ruby are the only ones who really step in when it gets bad but… I guess I learned how to… push them away or bullshit them into thinking that I’m okay when I’m not. But you saw the state I was in and you didn’t run. You saw through my bullshit and you did what you could to make things easier for me, not better and I guess that’s what I needed.” Yang smiled anxiously and gently reached out to squeeze Blake’s hands affectionately, watching the way her amber eyes followed her movements with a sense of awe in their depths. “You’ve… become a good friend of mine, Blake. Thank you.”

“Fucking dork.” Blake muttered, ducking her head shyly, biting her lip before she hesitantly curled one arm around Yang’s waist and pressed her forehead to Yang’s temple sweetly. “You’re welcome. You’ve become a good friend of mine, too.” She added in a soft murmur, speaking quietly into Yang’s ear and sending a shiver down her spine. 

Yang curled her own arms around Blake’s shoulders and squeezed gently, heart beating fast; entirely unrelated to their workout just now.

“Good.” Yang sighed as they pulled back and Blake stepped back hiding her smile behind the flowers cutely. “Because you’re actually… pretty cool, Blake… despite the whole ballerina thing.”

“I told you; I’m going to change your mind about ballerinas, Yang.” Blake laughed, reaching out to playfully cuff Yang’s shoulder. 

“Nah.” Yang smiled softly, tilting her head slightly. “Just you.”

The two women stared at each other for a long moment, slowly drifting closer until-

“You two. Pyrrha wants us all in the main room for a meeting.”

Both women jumped back, hearts in their throats as Weiss stared at them blankly before rolling her eyes and walking away, muttering someone about oblivious dolts.

“Uh… we should… we should probably go see what The Chosen One wants.” Yang said slowly, a smile returning to her face as Blake gave an amused snort and slung her bag over her shoulder and nodded. Yang followed suit and the two headed out, lingering near each other as Pyrrha addressed the group.

“The competition is nearly here and I just wanted to let you all know that I am insanely proud of you all. Ruby and Penny have an amazing hip hop routine, Jaune, Ren, Nora and I have our group dance down pat and Neptune and Weiss finally have something close to a dance.” The crowd let out a small laugh at that, while Neptune grinned and winked at Weiss who flushed immediately. “And of course, we can’t forget the fact that Blake has somehow been able to tolerate Yang long enough to form a routine with her, despite their differing styles.” Pyrrha said teasingly, smirking at Yang as she rolled her eyes and smiled. Blake giggled under her breath and shrugged. “I’m proud of both of you. I can’t want to see what you’ve come up with. Now, go home and rest. All of you.”

The crew all cheered and slowly made their way out. Yang nudged Blake as they left the building, jostling her playfully and earning an elbow back as she walked Blake to her car and leaned into her open window as she settled.

“We are so going to kick ass.” Yang laughed softly, as Blake smiled up at her, a softness to her eyes that wasn’t quite there before. 

“We certainly won’t let them forget us in a hurry.”

“That’s my girl.” Yang grinned and winked, stepping back and smacking the top of her car. “Get home safe, Princess.”

“I’ll try not to get into a drag race on the way back.” Blake said dryly, her ears flicking in amusement as she started her car and smirked softly at Yang. “I’ll see you around, Sweetheart.”

Yang chuckled and stepped back, waving her off. Naturally, that was when her her words sunk in and she felt her cheeks heat up.

‘Wait… my girl?’ She thought to herself for a moment, mildly confused until it hit her all at once.

Oh.

_Oh._

Fuck. 

When she had told Pyrrha that Blake had worked her way into her heart, _this was not what she meant_! 


End file.
